Bathing-cap or other rubber article and process of making same.



N0. 637,!36. Patented Nov. l4, I899.

H. LEMMERMANN.

BATHING CAP OR OTHER RUBBER ARTICLE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

(Application filed Kat. 10, 1899.)

(No Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY LEMMERMANN, OF HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY.

BATHlNG-CAP OR QTHER RUBBER ARTICLE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637, 36, da ed November899.

Application filed March 10, 1899. Serial No- 708,583. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LEMMERMANN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hasbrouck Heights, in the county of Bergen and State of NewJersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inBathing-Caps or other Rubber Articles and Process of Making the Same, ofwhich the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in rubberbathing-caps and other rubber articles and process of making the same.Bathing-caps as now generally made are composed of two rubber sheets ordisks united at the edges, one of them having a head opening therein,while with another well-known type of such caps two sheets are united atthe sides to form apouch-like or baglike head-coverin g.

It has heretofore been the practice in the manufacture of rubberbathing-caps and similar articles to cut out the sections of the articlefrom uncured rubber sheets, the action of the cutting-die serving totemporarily unite the edges of the sheets together, after which theseams so formed between the sheets are generally bound by sewing a braidor tape over the same. This makes a'clumsy, expensive, and leaky sea-m,which it is one of the objects of my invention to perfect. To this end Imake a bathing-cap or any rubber articlehaving a seam by employing acombined cutting and compressing die. The die is provided with a cuttingedge which severs the two sheets in the desired con-figuration andserves to bind together the extreme outer edges thereof, and it isfurther provided with an embossing shoulder or ledge, locatedimmediately within the cutting edge and by which the two uncured sheetswill be firmly compressed together and permanently united along the lineof compression. When the articles are properly vulcanized or finallytreated by any of the usual processes, the seam thus produced will berendered absolutely permanent, while at the same time the extreme outeredges will remain engaged together, as. they will be relieved ofstrains. Not only is the seam which I produce of great permanency, butit materially adds to the appearance of the completed articles. 7

With bathing-caps or with other rubber articles having interiors reachedthrough openings or mouths formed in the articles it is generally thepractice to reinforce the opening or mouth with a rubber reinforcement,either a separate strip or one formed by overturning the edges of thesheet or sheets from which the article is produced. Heretofore thesereinforcing-strips have been applied or secured, as the case may be, bythe use of a rubber solvent, such as benzin, which is applied to thestrip or to the overturned edge, after which the double thickness ofrubber thus formed is subjected to a pounding operation to removeair-bubbles and to cause the two rubber thicknesses to adhere closelytogether. A strip so applied is objectionable, as the use of a solventtends to rot the rubber to a certain extent, besides which a certainfeeling of clamminess is inherent in the finished article. Furthermore,the cost of manufacture is relatively high.

The second object of my invention is the improvement in thesereinforcing-strips or overturned portions of rubber articles adjacent tothe mouths or openings thereof. To eifect this object, I apply areinforcing-strip or secure the overturned portion of the rubber.

sheet by means of compression-dies operating on the sheets in theuncured state and serving to compress the reinforcing-strip oroverturned portion into place within relatively-restricted areas, sothat a firm union will be secured when the sheets are vulcanized 'orcured. The dies by which the compression is effected to this end arepreferably arranged in suitable conventional designs, so that when thereinforcing-strips are applied or the overturned portions are secured asI describe the efiect will be given to the eye of highly-ornamentalembossing. This effect will be increased if the reinforcing-strips, whenused, are made of rubber of different color. r.

In order that my invention may be better understood, attention isdirected to the'accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, and in which Figure 1 is an ordinary form of bathing-cap,showing the joint between the two sheets formed and thereinforcing-strip applied in accordance with my present invention; Fig.2, a cross-section through the line 2v 2 of Fig.

1, illustrating in dotted lines a step in the manufacture and showingfor the purpose of clearness the two sheets separated slightly at theircenters, it being remarked that in practice the two sheets will normallybe substantially parallel; Fig. 3, a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1,on a very much enlarged scale, showing the dies for applying thereinforcing-strip in place; Fig. 4, a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1,on a very much enlarged scale, showing the die for forming the seambetween the rubber sheets; Fig. 5, a side view of another form ofbathing-cap used particularly by men in diving, showing my presentimprovement applied thereto; and Fig. 6, a section on the line 6 (3 ofFig. 5, on a very much enlarged scale, illustrating the dies forsecuring the overturned bottom edge of the cap.

In all the above views corresponding parts are represented by the sameletters of reference.

The bathing or diving caps which are shown in Figs. 1 and 5 will berecognized as of common types. I make no claim to the form or generalconstruction of these caps, neither do I wish to be limited to these orsimilar articles, since my present improvements can be applied to themanufacture of any rubber articles where the two sheets are to be unitedtogether with a neat, cheap, and permanent seam or where a mouth oropening in a rubbersheet or formed between two rubbersheets is requiredto be reinforced either by means of a separate reinforcing-strip or byturning over the edge of the sheet or sheets.

In Fig. l the cap is made of a top disk A and a bottom disk 13,generally elliptical in form and united at the edge 0. The bottom sheetB is provided with a head-opening D therein, around which there is areinforcingstrip E. In making these caps I prefer to apply thereinforcing-strip to the sheet 15 before the two sheets are placedtogether, although tllis process need not be followed at all times. Thereinforcing-strip E is preferably cut from a disk of rubber after it hasbeen applied to the sheet, as I show in dotted lines in Fig. 2that is tosay, I first take the sheet B and place on its center the disk, theperiphery of which determines the outer edge of the ultimatereinforcing-strip E. This is shown also in Fig. 3. I now use anembossing or compressing die F, having a compression surface or surfacesa in relief and preferably formed to represent a suitableconventionaldesign. The disk E being placed upon the sheet D, theembossing-die F is brought down and compresses the uncured rubber,comprising both the sheet and disk, along the lines of theCOlIlPlGSSlOll-Slll'fftCG a. By thus effecting compression along limitedareas the two rubber sections will, after vulcanization or other curingoperation, be permanently secured together. This would not be possibleif compression were applied throughout the entire area of thereinforcingstrip. A cutting-die (not shown) is now used to cut throughboth the disk and sheet to form the head opening. Having obtained thesheet 13 with the reinforcing-strip applied in place around thehead-opening the sheets A and B are now placed together and an embossingand cutting die G is employed to cut out the form of the cap and to seamthe two sheets together. This die is provided with a cutting edge 0,extending entirely around to form the shape of the cap, and with acompression shoulder or ledge d, ex tending around the die immediatelyinside of the cutting edge 0. It will of course be understood that eachof the dies F and Gis annular, the former securing the reinforcingstripin place at one stroke and the latter cutting the entire outside edge 0of the cap at one operation also. The die G in thus being appliedcompresses the uncured sheets of rubber together along the limited areadefined by the compression ledge d, so that when the article is finallycured or vulcanized a permanent joint will be secured thereat. Also thecutting edge 0 tends to compress the extreme outer edges of the sheetstogether, forming a joint thereat of suificient permanence for allpurposes, since it is not subjected to strains.

The cap shown in Fig. 5 is of less common form, but is still largelyused in this country. It comprises two sheets secured together at theedge 0 and having an open bottom H, the Whole constituting atightly-fitting pouch or pocket like head-covering. The seam C is formedby a cutting and compressing die similar to G, except that instead ofbeing annular it will be substantially"horseshoe or U shaped. Before thetwo sheets forming this cap are applied together the bottom edge of eachis turned over, as shown in Fig. 6, and a simple embossing-die I, havinga compression surface or ledge e, is used to compress the uncured rubberwithin a restricted area, so that when the sheet is cured the overturnedbottom edge of the cap will be firmly and permanently set-. As shown,the limited area in which the embossing-die I is arranged to work isformed into approximate corrugations or waves, although any otherornamentation may be followed.

Having now described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article formed of twosheets having a seam produced within the edges of the sheets, at whichseam the sheets are of less thickness than at other portions,substantially as set forth. I

2. As a new article of manufacture, a rubher article formed of twosheets having a seam produced within the edges of the sheets, at whichseam the sheets are of less thickness than at other portions, and asupplemental seam at the extreme outer edges of the sheets,substantially as set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article composed of tworubber sheets secured together at their edges by a seam located withinthe edges of the sheets and in line with which seam the material is ofless thickness than at other portions, substantially as set forth.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article composed of tworubber sheets secured together at their edges by a seam located withinthe edges of the sheets and in line with which scam the material is ofless thickness than at other portions, and a supplemental seam at theextreme edges of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article, having an openingor mouth, the rubber being of double thickness surrounding said openingor mouth, the two thicknesses being secured together in areascorresponding to which the material is of less thickness than at otherportions, the reduced areas so produced being of ornamentalform,substantially as set forth.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article composed of twodisks secured together at their edges, a head-opening formed in one ofsaid disks, and a reinforcing-strip around said head-opening secured inplace within limited areas corresponding to which the material is ofless thickness than at other portions, substantially as set forth.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article composed of twodisks secured together at their edges,- a head-opening formed in one ofsaid disks, and a reinforcing-strip around said head-opening secured inplace within limited areas corresponding to which the material is ofless thickness than at other portions, the limited areas being arrangedin ornamental form, substantially as set forth.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article composed of twodisks secured together at their edges, a head-opening formed in one ofsaid disks, and a reinforcing-strip of a contrasting color around saidhead-opening secured in place within limited areas corresponding towhich the material is of less thickness than at other portions,substantially as set forth.

9. The process of producing a seam between two sheets of uncured rubber,which consists in simultaneously cutting the rubber in a desiredconfiguration and in effecting compression upon the two sheets on a lineextending substantially parallel with the cut, whereby at the cut atemporary seam will be formed and at the compression a permanent seamwill be produced after vulcanization, substantially as set forth.

10. The process of securing two rubber sections together, which consistsin applying pressure to the sections in limited areas and. thenvulcanizing them, substantially as set forth.

11. The process of securing two rubber sections together, which consistsin applying pressure to the sections in limited but orna= mental areas,and then vulcanizing them, substantially as set forth.

12. The process of making rubber articles comprising two disks, one ofwhich has a headopening, said process consisting in applying areinforcing-strip to one disk, in cutting out a head-opening therein,and in then seaming the edges of the two rubberdisks, substan tially asset forth.

13. The process of making rubber articles, which consists in applying anuncured-rubber disk to an uncured-rubber sheet, in effecting compressionin limited areas of the disk and sheet, in cutting a head-openingthrough the disk and sheet, in placing the said sheet having thehead-opening formed therein upon a second sheet, in cutting acap, out ofthe two sheets, and in seaming the edges together, substantially as setforth.

14. The process of making rubber articles, which consist-s in applyingan uncured-rubber disk to an uncured-rubber sheet, in ef fectingcompression in limited areas of the disk and sheet, in cutting ahead-opening through the disk and sheet, in placing the said sheethaving the head-opening formedtherein upon a second sheet, insimultaneously cutting a cap out of the two sheets and seaming the edgestogether by compression, substantially as set forth.

15. As a new article of manufacture, a rubber article having an openingor mouth, the rubber being of double thickness surrounding said openingor mouth, the two thicknesses being secured together in areascorresponding to which the material is of less thickness than at otherportions, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and'witnessed this 1st day of March, 1899.

HENRY LEMMERMANN.

Witnesses:

JOHN BEHRENS, JAMES J. GANEY.

